kpa kimchi times apr.2012
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This is a magazine edited by KPA Kimchi Times.TRANSCRIPT
The road to
the presidency is a
long, costly, and
arduous road. To
appear on the na-
tional ballot come
November 6th this
year, a candidate
must win their
party nomination.
To win the nomi-
nation, a candidate
must win the most
number of dele-
gates. Finally, to
win delegates, the
candidate must win
primary elections in
states. The candidate
with the most delegates
will win the nomination
at the Party Convention.
The Republican
Party has met trouble
this election year. Usually,
the Republican Party is
able to quickly decide
on a candidate and lend
support to that can-
didate until the election.
So was the case with John
McCain, Bush, and so on.
However, this year has
been much more difficult
and prolonged. Not only
does this lead to further
costs (nominees must
spend money on ads),
but it also destroys the
Republican Party. In-
stead of focusing on the
true opponent, President
Obama, the Republican
candidates are only at-
tacking themselves. This
will only lead to a
weaker and more frac-
tured party on Election
Day.
Currently, Mitt
Romney is in the lead
with 458 delegates, Rick
Santorum is second with
203, Newt Gingrich is
third with 118, and Ron
Paul is fourth with 66.
Although it may seem as
if Mitt Romney has the
decisive lead, he has
been winning states only
marginally. In Michigan
(Romney’s home state),
Romney only won with
41% of the vote, with
Santorum close behind
(38%). Of the primaries
to come, many are south-
ern states, which favor
candidate Santorum with
his strong Catholic
stance and conservative
viewpoint. It will be in-
teresting to watch and
see if Santorum will be
able to clinch the nomi-
nation in the following
days.
For a more in-depth look,
check out CNN’s
primary center at: http://
www.cnn.com/election/2012/
primaries.html
Republican Nomination by JAEMIN KIM [12]
Special points
of interest:
Elections
Entertainment
Student Art
DIY Tutorial
KONY 2012
Greek Debt
KIMCHI TIMES
K O R E A N P A R E N T S A S S O C I A T I O N
Volume 4, Issue 2
April 2012
Republican Nomination 1
The Vampire Diaries In Review 2
DIY Bow Headband 3
A Musical Experience 4
KONY 2012 5
Cold Petals (Art) 6
3 Idiots Review 7
Does Austerity Really Work? 8
Inside this issue:
News
“Instead of focusing on
the true opponent, the
Republican candidates
are only attacking them-
selves.”
2 Kimchi Times
It seems to be a popular
opinion that the The Vampire
Diaires is a show for only girls, and
even then, only girls who harbor a
silly vampire obsession. Because
of this widespread ignorance, I’d
like to offer a rebuttal. From my
experiences watching this show
all the way through the most
recent episode (the show is
currently nearing the end of its
third season), I can definitely
attest to the quality, depth, and
complexity of The Vampire Diaries.
First is the typical love
triangle, which turns out to be not-
so-typical as it progresses. What
makes the difference here is that
all three characters have deep
connections which each other,
since the two men involved are
actually brothers. The unique
relationships between both the
brothers (Stefan and Damon
Salvatore, played by Paul Wesley
and Ian Somerhalder respectively)
and the girl (Elena Gilbert, played
by Nina Dobrev) make everything
in the story a little more complex,
emotionally and plot-wise. But
don’t get me wrong, this show
revolves around much, much
more than this love story.
The characters themselves
are more complex and well-
developed than in many other
television shows (plus, they’re
smoking hot). This includes many
of the more minor characters as
well, making for a very rich plot
that is full of depth. And unlike
other popularized vampire-
related phenomenon (i.e. Twilight),
The Vampire Diaries is teeming
with legitimately horrifying
vampires that do a whole lot more
than sparkle.
Finally, the show’s story
moves forward at a breakneck
pace and is full of twists and turns
that are often far from predictable.
This is one show that consistently
keeps viewers on the edge of their
seats, including all those viewers
who are not squealing, vampire-
obsessed teenage girls. And while
many shows tend to go downhill in
quality as the seasons pass, I’d say
that The Vampire Diaries is almost
unique in that its third season is
just as good as, if not better than,
their previous seasons.
In conclusion, I have no
shame in admitting that The
Vampire Diaries is by far my
favorite TV show (as if you
couldn’t tell already) and urging
all Vampire Diaries virgins to go
check out the first season.
Immediately.
*If any males need some more convincing, click here: http://tv.ign.com/articles/122/1221433p1.html
The Vampire Diaries In Review by JESSICA SHIN [12] TV Review
Featured Comic Man, there’s future *everywhere*. http://xkcd.com/209/
3
Do you have a boring old headband lying around that you never really use? Instead of throwing it away, spice it
up with a bow! This simple and easy tutorial will show you how to transform it into a cute accessory.
Materials:
-A plain headband
-Ribbon (around 7/8” wide)
-Scissors
-Hot glue gun
Instructions:
1) Cut three pieces of ribbon: 3”, 7”, and 8” long.
2) Take the 7” and 8” ribbons and glue the ends
together.
3) Fold the 7” and 8” ribbons (they should be circles) in
half and glue at the centers. They should look like two 8s.
4) Stack the 7” ribbon on top of the 8” and glue their
centers together to secure.
5) Glue the bow you made on the headband.
6) Wrap the 3” ribbon (you still have it, right?) around the
center of the bow and the headband. Secure the ends
with glue.
7) Wear it on your head and you’re all set!
DIY Bow Headband by JULIA HONG [9] Tutorial
The Finished Product
Featured Riddle Enter the land of truth-tellers and liars.
Solve this: You walk into a land of truth-tellers and liars. Truth-tellers can only tell truths,
and liars can only tell lies. On your way through, you come upon two men from this land.
You ask them both, “Are you a truth-teller or a liar?” In reply, the first man mumbles
something you cannot make out. But the second man has heard what the first man said and
tells you, “He says he is a truth-teller. He is a truth-teller and so am I.” Can you trust both
these men, only one of them, or neither? (You may not ask the men any further questions.)
Answer: You can trust both men. (They are both truth-tellers.)
Explanation: In the case that the first man is a liar, that man’s response would have been “I am a truth-teller,” since he must always lie as a liar. But if the first man was a truth-teller, his response would still have been “I am a
truth-teller,” since he must always tell the truth as a truth-teller. So the second man’s first statement “He says he is
a truth-teller” is always true. That means the second man is a truth-teller, since a liar cannot tell any truths. Since
the second man must be a truth-teller, his second statement “He is a truth-teller…” must be true, meaning the
first man is also a truth-teller.
4 Kimchi Times
Although the movie
Grease was released long before
we were born, the timeless love
story between the innocent Sandy
Dumbrowski
and bad-boy
Danny Zuko
holds a dear
place in our
hearts even
today. This is
why my fellow
students and I
were beyond
excited to
discover that
A m a d o r
Valley and
Foothill High
School would
c o l l a b o r a t e
this year to
bring Grease
the Musical to
the city of
P l e a s a n t o n .
The “lightnin’”
fast rate of
ticket sales
clearly dem-
onstrates the
public’s interest in watching the
classic tale come to life. But what
the two-hour performance cannot
reveal to the audience is the
amount of work, the number of
people, and the countless hours
that went into making this
production a reality. As a third-
year participant in the Spring
Musical, I can confidently state
that the musical never fails to
entertain and impress because the
cast, crew, and directors devote a
whole lot of their time to making
sure that each of the six
performances is of top quality.
The entire process begins
way back in December when hun-
dreds of eager students from both
schools attend singing, dancing,
and acting auditions and callbacks
for two weeks. Once the directors
make their final decisions and post
the cast list, the musical really
gets rolling. Cast members attend
singing and acting rehearsals
Monday through Friday from 3:30-
5:30 and Tuesday and Thursday
evenings are reserved for dancing
from 6:00-9:00. From January to
February, the performers actively
learn harmonies, memorize lines
from the script, and practice cho-
reography. Then, one week
before the performances in March,
every-one from the cast, crew and
orchestra moves into the theater
for the infamous Tech Week (also
known as “Hell Week”). Consider-
ing that musical members stay in
the theater
from 3:15-
9:15 five
days a
week, you
could say
that we
essentially
live there
during that
week. Tech
Week is
crucial, for
this is the
time when
e v e r y o n e
can treat
the run-
t h r o u g h s
like real
p e r f o r m -
a n c e s .
From the
lighting to
set changes
to props,
cos tumes,
makeup, hair, etc., each detail of
the musical is perfected so that the
audience can honestly say that the
musical did not fall short of their
expectations.
The commitment required
to be in the musical may sound
overwhelming, yet there are over
fifty people that participate in this
process. The reason? Because
while there is great stress and
sacrifice involved, all members of
the musical can leave knowing
that they have made a new family
and a new memory of a truly
incredible experience.
A Musical Experience: We Go Together by MARIANNA NAM [11] Entertainment
5
Uploaded on
March 5, 2012, a video
by an organization
known as Invisible
Children has gone com-
pletely viral, reaching
viewers all across the
world. By the end of
March, that video had
over 100 million views,
making it one of the most
viral videos of all time.
This 29-minute film was
created to increase
awareness of a man
named Joseph Kony, an
international criminal
and Ugandan warlord.
The video features the
founder of Invisible
Children, Jason Russell, who intro-
duces Kony to the audience while
at the same time explaining the
situation to his son. Russell uses
personal anecdotes to explain to
listeners how Kony has affected
the lives of many, especially the
families in Uganda. According to
the video, Kony takes children
from their families and creates
child soldiers as a way to gain
power. Spreading the word about
Kony is the first step of the organi-
zation’s plan to find and stop him.
Invisible Children believes that
the way to stop him is to make it
impossible for him to be unseen.
The idea to “make him infamous”
is one that the video urges its
viewers to take part in. Simply
clicking the share button on the
screen or sending to a friend has
allowed the video to spread, but
the organization has set a date for
the world to make a louder impact.
On April 20, 2012, supporters of
the KONY 2012 movement will go
out and cover buildings and
streets with posters and signs to
make it impossible to not see Kony.
They hope that this will convince
the US government to intervene
and no longer ignore the problem.
Consequently, Invisible
Children as an organization has
become the center of controversy
for many who choose to believe or
disbelieve the words of Jason
Russell. Some argue that most of
the money that is donated to
Invisible Children goes into profit
for the staff rather than the cause,
while others claim that Joseph
Kony is not even alive. Also, the
video itself seems to cause some
issues among critics who note that
the video is too personal, showing
more of the founder’s son than
actually explaining the details of
Kony’s actions and whereabouts.
While the video mentions that
Kony’s exact whereabouts are
unknown at the moment, others
are convinced that Kony has left
Uganda over five years ago and
that Kony is currently moving the
LRA, which is the name of the
army he created, to other parts of
Africa. Having the US interfere in a
country where Kony is not even
residing in could prove to be
more detrimental than helpful,
allowing Kony to build his forces
and springing yet another war on
the US when we don’t have the
funds to do so.
Invisible Children has
countered such arguments by
reassuring the public that the
financial costs and gains are all
recorded and available for public
view, as well as maintaining a
strong belief that this plan will
ultimately bring an end to Kony’s
war for power and the abduction
of children. Each individual seems
to have had a different take on the
same video, and I urge you, if you
have not already, to watch this
video yourself and form your own
opinion on this weighty topic.
KONY 2012 by SUNYOUNG KYE [11] News
6 Kimchi Times
Cold Petals by DANA KIM [12]
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we
look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has
been opened for us.” –HELEN KELLER
QUOTED:QUOTED:QUOTED:
Student Art
7
Upon release, the film 3
Idiots broke all opening box office
records in India.
“All Is Well,” meaning
everything would be all right, is
one of the remarkable lines in the
movie 3 Idiots. At first, when my
friend recommended this movie to
me, I was not really interested in it
as I do not usually like comedy
movies, especially ones that just
list idiotic or eccentric behaviors
of main characters. However,
when I came to watch this movie
by chance, such thoughts were
totally changed. It not only gave
me a sense of empathy towards
characters in the movie but also
provoked tears and laughter.
The primary background
of the movie is ICE, the
preeminent engineering college
in India. The acceptance rate of
the school is nearly 1000:1, and
thus it is where all the brilliant,
intelligent, and hard-working
students are congregated. And
then there is Rancho, a genius man
who is quite different from other
students. Unlike others who are
stuck in a rut and view the world
with a narrow scope, Rancho does
not conform to typical ways of
studying, the typical vision of the
smart people, and typical aspects
of life. He always questions and
looks beyond the ordinary.
The professors and
students in ICE focus on
grades and scoring good
careers rather than invent-
tion and creativity. In oppo-
sition to this philosophy,
Rancho states, “Life is not
about getting marks,
grades, but chasing your
dreams.” Moreover, Ran-
cho always encourages and
comforts his friends when-
ever they face difficulties
by saying “Whatever the
problem in life is…just say
to yourself ‘Aal Izz Well.’
This won’t solve your
problems but it will give
the courage to face it.” As
Rancho seeks passion, real
dreams, and happiness
with positive thinking, his
two friends Radu and
Farhan begin to find their
dreams as well. Rancho gives
important, yet often-overlooked
lessons not only to the two idiots
Radu and Farhan but also to me.
I, as a little Asian girl, have
always grown up under certain
expectations from my parents.
These burdens are that I should
study hard, go to a renowned
college, and get a good job. From
watching this movie, Ranchos’
words, “Chase excellence and
then success will follow,” im-
pressed me and made me intro-
spect about my own excellence
and interests. This movie 3 Idiots is
not merely a comedy movie that
just wants you to crack up or laugh
out loud. It more importantly
enlightens us to ponder about our
own identities and about Life.
3 Idiots Review by LILY KWAK [11] Movie Review
“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery,
guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The
world is all gates, all opportunities. –RALPH WALDO EMERSON
QUOTED:QUOTED:QUOTED:
KIMCHI TIMES is a magazine made by
students and run by students. If you
would like to contribute anything at all
(news article, advice, art/photography,
tutorial, recipe, creative writing, reviews,
etc.), contact the editor, Jessica Shin. Our
goal is to create a lasting opportunity
for KPA youth to easily submit their
work to be published and enjoyed.
We hope to include pieces that interest
a wide variety of people so that our
magazine can be enjoyed by both the
creators and the readers. Please do
not hesitate to contribute to our project!
Korean Parents Association
KIMCHI TIMES
CONTACT THE EDITOR Jessica Shin
E-mail: [email protected]
Thanks for reading!
As of February 13, 2012,
Greece’s Parliament voted for the
highly debated austerity measures
proposed by the EU and Interna-
tional Monetary Fund. Even amidst
500,000 protestors in Athens, the
Greek government decided to
pass severe spending cuts, pen-
sion slashing, and tax increase in
an effort to avert having to leave
the euro system. Yet the not-so-
positive results of previous auster-
ity measures leave us wondering if
enforcing such policies is merely
beating a dead horse. First and
foremost, we must understand
what austerity is and what it is in-
tended for. In economics, austerity
is a spending cutback policy that
requires of a reduction of govern-
ment-provided benefits
and public services for
citizens (Wiki). In the case
of indebted Greece, the
austerity bill serves as the
country’s agreement in
exchange for a 130 billion
euro bailout that will
“rescue” Greece from
uncontrolled default.
However, many econo-
mists argue that this
austerity and bailout plan is likely
to fail. The declining economies of
Greece and other European
nations will have to endure more
suffering as a result of austerity
measures. The unrealistic expec-
tations for Greece to reduce its
government debt by itself through
lower spending may actually
deepen the country’s recession.
Overall unemployment is at a rate
of 21% and even the employed
suffer from slashed budgets, de-
creased minimum wage, job cuts,
and more. At this point, the auster-
ity bill is nothing more than an
effort to buy time for the Greek
economy—but time alone will not
resolve this crisis. To prevent a
deeper plunge into debt, the
Greek government may have to
accept the very measure that it is
trying to avoid: leaving the euro
system. Although default was pre-
viously denounced as taboo, the
Greeks may have no choice but to
consider drastic measures. What
the Greek economy needs is not
simply a rescue bailout package
to put off the worst to come, but a
360 degree transformation starting
with structural reforms to increase
the efficiency of the tax collecting
and spending system. Greece is
currently stuck in a crisis with no
easy way out. It is time Parliament
recognizes that devastating the
country’s people with cutbacks in
social services is an unacceptable
and inefficient attempt to revitalize
the Greek economy.
Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/greek-parliament-set-approve-bailout-deal-143543220.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/13/greece-riots-have-greeks-had-enough-of-austerity.html
http://news.yahoo.com/strong-greece-bond-swap-offer-000752975.html
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Doubts-Grow-Over-Austerity-for-Greece--139367953.html
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/12/buildings-set-on-fire-in-greece-ahead-debt-vote/
Does Austerity Really Work? by MARIANNA NAM [11] News